Public Executions in Richmond, Virginia

A History, 1782-1907

Häftad, Engelska, 2012

355 kr

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Beskrivning

Virginia's capital city knew poverty, injustice, slavery, vagrancy, substandard working conditions, street crimes, brutality, unsanitary conditions, and pandemics. One of the biggest stains in the city's past was the spectacle of public executions, attended by throngs. Thousands, including the old and the very young, reveled in a carnival-like atmosphere. This book narrates the history of the executions--hangings, and during the Civil War also firing squads--that formed a large part of Richmond's entertainment picture. Revulsion slowly mounted until the introduction of the electric chair. The history has a cast of unusual characters--the condemned, the crime victims, family members, the executioners, and not least an 182 pound "gallows" dog.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2012-08-14
Mått:152 x 229 x 12 mm
Vikt:322 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:231
Förlag:McFarland & Co Inc
ISBN:9780786470839

Utforska kategorier

Brottslighet och kriminologi inom Samhälle och politik

Mer om författaren

The late Harry M. Ward was William Binford Vest Professor of History Emeritus at University of Richmond. He was the author of 21 books, including college-level textbooks on Colonial America and the American Revolution, military biographies and studies of social aspects of the Revolution.

Recensioner i media

“as capital punishment fades into senescence, it is time to evaluate its long history…a useful foundation…Ward casts an unblinking eye…there is a story to be told about the consistent and pernicious influence of race and class…Ward performs the important task of making visible the long-buried life stories of those who would be otherwise lost forever”—The Journal of Southern History; “provides detailed information…hanged criminals were overwhelmingly poor and/or black…gives readers a sense of the political, economic, and social conditions in the city…excellent”—ARBA; “makes extensive use of original accounts.... In the litany of deaths it is very clear that most hanged were black and in poverty”—Reference & Research Book News.

Innehållsförteckning

Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPreface1. “Usual Place of Execution”2. “A Flood of Tears” delete1782–17993. “Liberty of My Countrymen” delete1800–18024. “Between the Heavens and the Earth” delete1801–18265. “Sleep in Alien Dust” delete18276. “Hideous Curiosity” delete1828–18517. “In Cold Blood” delete18528. “The Mob Is Coming” delete1853–18609. “To Be Shot to Death by Musketry” delete1861–186510. “Farewell, Brave Spirit” delete1861–186511. “Certainly Horrible to Look At” delete1861–186512. “The Last Carnival of Death” delete1865–186913. “You’re Gwyne to Hell” delete1870–188214. “Wait, I’m Not Done Yet” delete188315. “Cluverius’s Day” delete1884–188716. “Good-Bye, Boys” delete1888–189917. “You Knowed I Won’t Crazy” delete1900–1907EpilogueAppendices:deleteA. Proﬁle of an Executioner—John CaphartdeleteB. The Last Days of Spencer Kellogg Brown in His Own Words, September 1865deleteC. “Sleepless Sentinel at Castle Thunder”deleteD. Sentencing of James Jeter Phillips by Judge George L. Christian of the Henrico Circuit Court, July 10, 1868deleteE. The Prosecutor, Colonel W.R. Aylett, States the Case Against Thomas J. Cluverius, 1885deleteF. “An act to establish a permanent place in the State penitentiary ... [and] to change the mode of execution ... [to] electricity,” March 16, 1908deleteG. Richmond ExecutionsChapter NotesBibliographyIndex